Private Bank Legal Group – Product Lawyer - Vice President

As a Private Bank Legal Group - Product Lawyer in the Legal department, you will join a well-established, high calibre and supportive global team, working with other members of the legal team, the business and support functions. Your primary role will be to support the brokerage trading desks across the EMEA Private Bank. You will manage legal issues that arise in connection with the derivatives, structured products and cash trading businesses, including the sale and distribution of derivatives, structured products, equities and bonds to clients who are both professional and retail. You will be part of the Products Legal team and may also have the opportunity to cover a range of products offered by the Private Bank (e.g. mutual funds, alternatives, managed products), depending on team capacity and your professional interests.

The role will be based in London and is an exciting and varied opportunity to provide specialist derivatives, structured products and cash trading coverage to the J.P. Morgan Private Bank across the region as well as exposure to general regulatory matters. It will encompass a wide spectrum of matters and transactions, ranging from complex, strategic equity transactions, negotiating structured product transactions, other large investment banking style transactions as well as advising on the end-to-end process and models for flow OTC and exchange traded derivatives and structured products.

You will also help manage the relationship of the Private Bank with its clients across the entire traded products range as well as handle negotiations and transactions with the Investment Bank and third-party issuers. You will be a team player, intellectually curious, commercially aware and attuned to the needs of a global business, be able to take the initiative and have a collaborative approach to the provision of legal support.

Job responsibilities

• Engage in daily contact with the Private Bank’s Structuring and trading teams and provide general legal advice on the sale and distribution of derivatives and structured products, keeping up to date with new legal and regulatory initiatives affecting the product area. This will include strategic level advice around trade inception, structuring and cover all relevant commercial issues in order to facilitate trade execution. The Products legal team has a close working relationship with the Structuring and trading teams and are encouraged to input and advise the business on strategic goals throughout the life of a transaction.
• Be a point person for the Private Bank’s equity and fixed income traders, providing legal advice on a range of trading related matters, including IPO distribution, secondary market sales and private transactions.
• Remain up to date on regulatory developments in the UK and across the EU in relation to the structuring, marketing and offer of derivatives and structured products and advise on regulations such as EMIR, Dodd-Frank and MiFID II.
• Advise on a range of trading documentation including ISDA Master Agreements, structured products programmes, F&O agreements as well as other standard form and bespoke documentation.
• Be familiar with crypto-related market initiatives and policy developments to advise the business on the growing crypto-linked Private Bank business.
• Advise on the development of policies, procedures and controls for existing and new products.
• Determine when external legal support is required and then instruct and manage external legal advisers.
• Work closely with colleagues in different locations in EMEA and other regions, as well as business representatives and control functions such as Compliance and Risk Management, where required.

Required qualifications, skills and capabilities

• England-qualified lawyer (m/f/d) with a minimum of 4 years prior experience ideally gained within a top law firm and/or in the legal department of a top tier financial institution.
• Excellent knowledge of both the UK and the EU regulatory environment and a good understanding of/expertise in derivatives as well as a familiarity with structured products (and an interest in further developing these skills).
• Familiarity with the legal and regulatory frameworks governing large financial institution products, services, and transactions in the substantive coverage areas.
• First class drafting and negotiation skills and the ability to prioritise and manage projects effectively.
• Confidence and experience translating complex legal concepts into practical solutions.
• Ability to develop strong relationships with the business and fellow legal and support professionals.
• Business aware, proactive, and able to provide practical advice and solutions to meet business needs.
• Excellent judgement and decision-making skills. In particular, the ability to identify and assess legal risk and direct both the business and external counsel to key issues.
• Creative solution and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.